Silver Zeolite Composites-Based LEDs: A Novel Solid-State Lighting Approach

Silver clusters incorporated in a zeolite matrix represent a promising alternative for rare earth phosphors, organic dyes, and quantum dots as emitters in organic and hybrid organic/inorganic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Compared to other existing types of emitters, they combine an excellent stability to oxygen and humidity with a high luminescence quantum yield and color tunability. This study reports on the first use of these silver exchanged zeolites embedded in polyvinyl carbazole (PVK), which is expected to act as a conducting matrix, as emitters in a single-layer OLED. It is demonstrated that the introduction of these Ag zeolites leads to electroluminescence bands that clearly differ from pristine PVK OLEDs as well as from the photoluminescence spectra of the Ag zeolites. The current density and the spectral properties observed in these devices are strongly influenced by the zeolite silver loading, paving the way for a new type of easily tunable hybrid and costeffective OLEDs.